Auschwitz: The Forgotten Witness

British ex-serviceman Arthur Dodd was one of several hundred British prisoners-of war during WWII at the Aushwitz complex of labour, concentration and extermination camps near Krakow in Poland. During his incarceration, Dodd was witness to the savagery of the Nazi regime and its genocide of Jews. After decades of supressed memories, this programme takes Dodd back to Auschwitz to recall his experiences..

Broadcast:
Sun 21 Jan 2001, 10:15pm

Published:
Sun 21 Jan 2001, 10:15pm

Transcript

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In the 1940's during World War Two a British serviceman, Arthur Dodd, became one of several hundred Prisoners-Of-War imprisoned in Nazi Germany's huge complex of labour, concentration, and extermination camps known to history as Auschwitz, near Krakow in Poland.

Auschwitz was notorious as the site of the original manifestation in modern times of calculated genocide and "ethnic cleansing". It saw the killing of over a million Jews and others. Millions more were killed in other human abattoirs.

Now in his 70's, Arthur Dodd had been imprisoned for 14 months at Auschwitz, and was a witness to the savagery of the Nazi regime. As a result, on release he lapsed into a depressive silence about his experiences for decades.

In this BBC report the British ex-Serviceman at last goes back to Poland and the site of Auschwitz to recall his imprisonment and its terrible memories. Along the way his simple faith helps him survive the ordeal, and helps restore him to health and sanity.